


Level Up and Love Again

by Inkyrius



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, The Answer, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 04:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16469090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkyrius/pseuds/Inkyrius
Summary: Yukari and Mitsuru steal the others' keys and travel back in time to save Minako. Or try to, at least.





	Level Up and Love Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mk_tortie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mk_tortie/gifts).



Yukari knew she shouldn’t have stolen the others’ keys, but she couldn’t make herself regret it. Minako had given up everything for them. The least they could do was return the favor.

Even so, she was just as happy to let Mitsuru be the one to unlock the door. She was sure her hands would shake too much to get the key into the lock. Mitsuru’s hands were as steady as ever. She barely even flinched when the door opened to a dazzlingly bright light.

Yukari took a deep breath. “Let’s go,” she said. They stepped through the door side by side.

When their eyes adjusted, they were standing outside the dormitory. Yukari was about to ask if it had worked when she saw the flyer stuck to the gates.

Mitsuru closed her phone with an audible click. “It would seem that it’s December 31st,” she said. Her voice was tinged with melancholy. “I had hoped it would be earlier, but…”

It took Yukari a moment to understand, but when she did, she winced. She wished she knew what to say to comfort Mitsuru. It had been a long time since Yukari had had hope of her father’s survival. “I’m sorry,” she said lamely. “At least we can still save Minako.”

“Right.” Mitsuru shook her head. “We only have a month. We need to come up with a plan. Can you think of a good way to convince the rest of the team that we’re from the future?”

“I don’t know,” Yukari said slowly. “But there might be an easier way. Ryoji won’t have come here yet, right? What if we made sure that Minako killed him?”

Mitsuru’s eyes widened. “What would that accomplish?”

“Well, if she forgets about SEES, Minako won’t be at the battle with Nyx. And since the two of us have been training basically nonstop in the Abyss of Time, we might strong enough to fight it on our own.”

“What if we forget too? We did last time.” Mitsuru sounded unimpressed.

“Yeah, but Aigis didn’t. We can ask her to remind us.” A thought occurred to her. “Actually, she’ll probably come with us to fight Nyx, so we’ll almost have a full party.”

“And what if we fail? We can’t risk the apocalypse like that.”

“We still have a month to prepare, just like last time. In fact, since we already know everything that’s coming, we’ll probably have even more free time. It’s not like we’ll need to study for the same test again.” The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that this could work.

“Let’s say we somehow manage to defeat the Nyx Avatar on our own.” Mitsuru’s tone suggested that this was an enormous concession. “What next? Minako was the only one who could stop Nyx itself, and even then, the effort was enough to kill her. Do you really think another month of training will make a difference against Death itself?”

Yukari swallowed. Mitsuru had a point, but Yukari wasn’t going to give up. Minako deserved better than that. “If I have to, I’m willing to try doing what Minako did.”

“What?” Mitsuru looked horrified by the idea.

Yukari looked away so she wouldn’t have to meet Mitsuru’s eyes. “Well, this whole thing was my idea. It only makes sense, you know?”

“It most certainly does not!” Mitsuru’s tone was emphatic enough that Yukari looked at her in surprise. “We haven’t even begun to formulate a plan, and already you’re giving up? Don’t be ridiculous. I refuse to let you throw your life away like this.”

“Oh, you won’t let me?” Yukari knew it was a dumb thing to argue about, but Mitsuru had a particular talent for getting under her skin, and getting angry was easier than letting herself think about what she was suggesting. “What does it even matter to you? It’s my life.”

“I don’t know how you missed it, but you’re my friend, Yukari. I care about you, and I’m not going to let you do something so stupid.” Mitsuru crossed her arms.

“And it’s okay if Minako does? Isn’t she your friend too?”

“That’s…” Mitsuru struggled for words. “I’ve already mourned her once,” she said at last. “I can do it again if necessary. I don’t think I could handle mourning you.”

Yukari’s train of thought came to an abrupt halt. She’d been prepared for another lecture, something that she could meet with righteous indignation. She didn’t know how to handle this kind of sincerity. “Senpai…”

Mitsuru bit her lip, apparently conflicted over something. “Do you know why I came back here with you?” she asked.

Yukari fought to keep up with the apparent change in subject. “To save Minako?” she guessed.

“I will do everything I can to bring her back,” Mitsuru said, “but that’s not why I did it. I did it for you, Yukari. After Kyoto, I swore that if something ever happened to make you suffer, I’d put aside my own feelings and stand with you. But I can’t just stand by and watch you die because you didn’t want to look for another option.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Even after the events of the past year, it was easy for Yukari to think of Mitsuru as strong and unaffected by anything. Seeing her so passionate about Yukari’s well-being was all the more meaningful for its unexpectedness.

“You don’t have to say anything. I was out of line.” It was Mitsuru’s turn to refuse to make eye contact. “You’re right that, in the end, it’s your life and you can do what you want. Just… try to remember that you aren’t alone. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.” It was hard to tell when she was looking away, but Yukari was pretty sure Mitsuru was blushing. It was kind of cute.

Something slotted into place in Yukari’s head. All the times she’d thought she was jealous of Mitsuru over the past year, how easy it was for Mitsuru to get under her skin. It should have been a big, life-changing revelation, but all Yukari could think was, “That makes sense.”

She clasped her hands behind her back. “I can do what I want, huh? So if I wanted to kiss you right now…”

She was probably blushing, but that was okay, because Mitsuru’s face was even redder. “W-well. If you’re sure, I certainly wouldn’t mind, but if you’re doing this out of some misguided sense of obligation to me –“

Yukari cut her off with a kiss. When they broke apart, she grinned. “If I wasn’t sure before, I am now. I care about you too, Mitsuru-senpai, and I can’t believe it took me this long to realize it.”

“You make a convincing argument,” Mitsuru mumbled. She coughed. “As pleasant as this is, however, we do have a mission to think about. Assuming this is a sign that you’ve given up on your foolish plan to take on Nyx ourselves, we’re back where we started.”

“Hey,” Yukari said, but she couldn’t muster up any real heat. Mitsuru was right as always. “Anyway, we might as well go inside to figure it out. It’s freezing out here.”

“I don’t suppose you thought to bring your key?”

Yukari checked her pockets, but of course she hadn’t needed it since time had started repeating, and she hadn’t thought to grab it before they stepped through the door. Mitsuru seemed to be in a similar position.

On the bright side, breaking into the dorm was much easier than defeating Nyx, and planning was much easier when they were coming off of a victory. They could deal with everything else as it came.


End file.
